RIACMET chapter 214

 

“… ”

Shortly after, Chu Yi and the others who had been searching the warehouse returned. They came back with a decent haul: guns, ammunition, food, medicine, and daily necessities.

Qi Laoer and his team had gathered all the available resources in the prison, so there was no need to search elsewhere.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, Cheng Jing stopped in his tracks and distanced himself from the group.

“Brother Jing?”

Jiang Nian was the first to notice the sudden instability in Cheng Jing’s superpower. He didn’t rush over, but calmly asked from a distance,

“It’s fine. I’ve just hit a critical point. Chu Yi, take everyone into the room and evacuate the basement.”

After speaking, Cheng Jing removed his gloves. Everyone could see faint white steam rising from his palms and tiny arcs of electricity dancing across their surface.

Earlier, after using his powers to incinerate zombie corpses in several rooms, he sensed his breakthrough was near. He had been suppressing it forcefully until now. But the moment he relaxed, he could no longer contain it.

“Brother Jing, let’s at least get to the surface together. Otherwise, this place might collapse. The risk of a thunderflame mutation is too high. Let Tang Ji stabilize you before you head up.”

Everyone knew that the advanced mutations of the lightning and fire elements were celestial thunder and worldly flame, both of which are tremendously destructive forces.

The others agreed that it was best to move upward, and Cheng Jing nodded in agreement. However, when Tang Ji tried to help, he was thrown back by a wave of heat and slammed into the wall.

“Ow!”

Tang Ji cried out in pain, his head ringing. The rest of the team rushed to help him up. Thankfully, his injuries weren’t serious.

“It looks like that won’t work. It’s fine. You guys go into Chu Yi’s space. I’ll hold out until I reach the surface. Niannian, stay outside. Be ready to run.”

The air around them was heating up quickly. Cheng Jing frowned and stored all his equipment in his spatial ring.

Chu Yi wasted no time, instantly transferring all of his teammates, except for Jiang Nian, into his dimension and shielding them completely. Then, he turned and sprinted toward the stairs.

He was worried that Jiang Nian might get emotional and cause a scene, just like those dramatic couples on TV who start arguing at the worst possible moment.

But, to his surprise, Jiang Nian obediently bolted like a rabbit. By the time he reached the stairs, Jiang Nian had already reached the surface and was urgently waving for him to hurry up.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, and thankfully, the entire regiment had retreated beyond the prison gates.

The massive walls surrounding Guanshan Prison were perfect for Cheng Jing to unleash his energy and break through his superpower limits.

When he finally emerged in a crackle of sparks and lightning, the ground around him was covered in Jiang Nian’s purifying power. Soon, that same power enveloped him completely, aligning with his own raging surge of energy.

His vision blurred, and he slumped beside a pile of rubble. He half-closed his eyes, relaxed his body, and let the power erupt as it merged with the purifying light.

Flames spread wildly and lightning arced and crackled, gathering in the air and gradually forming thunderclouds laced with flickering fire. The intense pressure in the air was suffocating, and the surrounding temperature soared.

An intense burning sensation erupted from the inside out. Under normal circumstances, Cheng Jing would have passed out. However, thanks to Jiang Nian’s purification ability, he remained conscious. He controlled the release of his power, ensuring it didn’t exceed the training grounds of Guanshan Prison.

Jiang Nian sensed this, too, and carefully adjusted his support.

Whoosh!

Boom!

Tongues of flame danced wildly and the sound of thunder echoed endlessly.

A tremendous boom rang from the swirling thunderclouds, and lightning and electric arcs crashed down in waves, flinging sand and rocks into the air. From afar, it was a mesmerizing sight, but anything that got close would turn to ash in an instant.

Such a scene made it crystal clear why ordinary people—and even officials—feared aggressive superpowered beings.

Imagine if Cheng Jing lost control, or if Jiang Nian’s purification turned into amplification. The entire Nancheng Base could be reduced to ruins.

Thunder and fire combined could spread endlessly so long as there was a medium. The destructive force was simply overwhelming.

“…”

Chu Yi’s abilities allowed him and Jiang Nian to create a two-meter-wide safe zone, which was unaffected by the scorching heat of the thunder and flames.

Watching the burning figure not far away, Chu Yi asked,

“Do you want to get a little closer?”

They were standing twenty meters away from Cheng Jing, somewhat distant.

However, Jiang Nian was clearly different from the usual “clingy lovers.” He didn’t seem worried at all about what was happening to his partner.

If it were someone else with the same strength and bond, they might rush up with sparkling eyes, using the moment to whisper sweet nothings and deepen the romance.

“…”

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“No need. Getting closer won’t change anything. Besides, Brother Jing’s clothes will burn off.”

“Uh…”

Chu Yi laughed.

“You’re really protective of your snack, huh? I’m not interested in Brother Jing. I just admire him.”

Jiang Nian shook his head and said coldly,

“It’s not that I’m afraid you’ll see him. I’m worried that I’ll lose my composure and mess things up.”

Chu Yi rubbed his forehead. “…”

Alright, he was clearly overthinking it.

The two of them stood in the midst of the thunder and firestorm. Sweat trickled down Chu Yi’s forehead. They both possessed dual attributes, and he had previously broken through to a high level himself.

Still, withstanding the brutal surge of fire and lightning was no easy feat, even with his abilities.

Thankfully, Jiang Nian kept Cheng Jing awake and contained the energy’s range. Otherwise, even Guanshan Prison might not survive the blaze.

“…”

After nearly an hour of raging thunder and fire, Jiang Nian sensed that Cheng Jing’s power had stopped leaking. The storm of flames and lightning began to stabilize much faster than when Jiang Nian experienced his own breakthrough.

Another half hour passed, and gradually, the sphere of thunder and fire around Cheng Jing began to condense. The thunderclouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and the sand and rubble turned to gray mist.

Chu Yi finally sighed in relief. With things calming down, it was nearly time to retreat.

Though it was now dark, the area around them glowed as bright as day. As he watched lightning flicker through the flames, Chu Yi suddenly asked,

“Jiang Nian, have you ever accidentally been zapped by Cheng Jing’s lightning?”

Jiang Nian glanced at Cheng Jing and nodded.

“When Brother Jing awakened his superpowers, I got shocked. My head was buzzing.”

“Oh…”

Chu Yi asked again.

“But don’t you guys usually use that?”

“No, Brother Jing’s control is very precise.”

Jiang Nian noticed the strange tone in Chu Yi’s voice and gave him a sidelong glance.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing. Cough…”

Chu Yi cleared his throat and cautiously muttered.

“I just thought…maybe you’d use his electricity for…fun?”

“Huh?”

Jiang Nian looked completely baffled.

Seeing that, Chu Yi quickly backpedaled.

“No, no, don’t mind me. I’m just talking nonsense. I’m a serious person.”

He had only been thinking about how Cheng Jing was currently surrounded by electricity and fire when a thought popped into his head.

Hiss… How is that “serious”?

Jiang Nian felt that something was definitely off. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. But suddenly, a thought occurred to him. After a moment of silence, he asked with uncharacteristic candor,

“Brother Chu, you’re not suggesting we use Brother Jing’s electricity for enhancement, are you?”

Good grief!

He’d always thought of himself as proper and old-fashioned. He’d never even considered experimenting with Jing’s electric charge.

Was this one of those moments where “those involved are blind, while bystanders see clearly”?

It was over. Now that the thought had taken root, there was no way to get rid of it.